Learning to School

[SaddlePsych'D]

I'm probably into the realms of overthinking again but feeling really rubbish after my ride today and wanting to try to stay positive, so thinking of what I can do to learn and improve.

I'm not sure what counts as 'schooling' (improved definitions welcome!) - to me it's about improving how the horse goes (transitions, bending, straightness, being active and responsive) as well as improving my own position/posture, balance, and aids.

What things do I need to bear in mind as I take the step from working in the school in a private lesson environment to one without the instructor? Are there any real dos/donts?

I will also be looking to an instructor for guidance, but as always I'm keen to get a range of ideas/views/experiences/approaches

Also any reading/video recommendations greatly welcomed.

 

[Littlebear]

What felt like it went wrong today?

I think when you take that step, do it with a bit of homework from your instructor to start with if you can, they know what you need to work on.

One thing I will say is don't go in trying to do everything every time, have a warm up and see how you feel, have something to work on and let it be flexible depending on how you and the horse feel that day and finish on a positive, make sure you and the horse go in the next time feeling up for it not like there is a big exhausting task ahead.

Dont's.... don't just go round and round the outside track, stay off the track where possible, use the area you have available, warm up and take your time even if part of that is in hand first, cool down and take your time and let the work part in the middle be productive and enjoyable. If you are wanting to work on your position, have a plan whether it be some no stirrups, franklin balls, rider exercises or whatever and then reward the horse and take them in. Don't drill round and round it wont do anyone any favours in the long term.

Will also add..'schooling' does not need to be in an arena, stay out of it as much as possible if you can, work them on a hack, tracks or whatever else you have. If you are happy to post videos of you riding there are lots of really experienced people on here that can give you exercises to work on and a plan x

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Every time you ride a horse you are 'schooling' it, whether you are improving it or not. Obviously you hope that you will be improving it, remember the horse should only do what you ask it to do. To take a rather silly example if you want the horse to trot but give the canter aids, the horse will canter, it won't be horse's fault that you didn't get what you expected. If the rider is doing the right thing, so will the horse.

 

[oldie48]

I think for many of us this is quite hard and it's so easy to go into the arena with no clear plan of what you want to achieve and therefore no idea of if you've achieved it or not. That's my experience, anyway! When you have a lesson, why not ask for homework, things to work on on your own. I think that would give you a plan. I've always tried to keep it as simple as possible with a basic structure eg Is horse in front of the leg, No, then have a number of simple exercises that will help you achieve that. Years ago I bought 101 schooling exercises and methodically went through and marked up all the exercises that I thought would be useful for the horse that I had at the time, I found that useful as the trainer I had at the time was pretty useless but these days I'd rather have input from my trainer. Really experienced riders have the ability to ride the horse under them on the day, I'm getting better at that but still have a long way to go. Don't get down, it's really difficult to school a horse well and many riders tbh don't have a clue, they might as well go for a hack with washing line reins and a phone stuck to their ear!

 

[Red-1]

I'm probably into the realms of overthinking again but feeling really rubbish after my ride today and wanting to try to stay positive, so thinking of what I can do to learn and improve.

I'm not sure what counts as 'schooling' (improved definitions welcome!) - to me it's about improving how the horse goes (transitions, bending, straightness, being active and responsive) as well as improving my own position/posture, balance, and aids.

What things do I need to bear in mind as I take the step from working in the school in a private lesson environment to one without the instructor? Are there any real dos/donts?

I will also be looking to an instructor for guidance, but as always I'm keen to get a range of ideas/views/experiences/approaches

Also any reading/video recommendations greatly welcomed.

Don't be down. Answer the following questions...

1. Did you and the horse get exercise?

2. Did you both finish safely?

3. Did you find some things that you would like to work on in the future?

If all 3 were "yes" then that is a success!

I always have a 4th question... Did you both enjoy the session?... But I think you have given yourself pressure so that one may not be as positive!

I would book a trainer to come and help you. I used to do that, and would go to clients of all different levels of experience. Some wanted help with mounting. Some wanted to dare to walk right around the arena. Some were jumping courses ready for BS. What all had in common though, was that they all wanted to improve. As a trainer I could help them identify where their 'block' was and help them to plan a route to improve. We had fun.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

What felt like it went wrong today?

If you are happy to post videos of you riding there are lots of really experienced people on here that can give you exercises to work on and a plan x

Main things were probably horse not walking forwards enough (getting forwards walk generally seems to be something I'm not great at yet - it's not 'ploddy' I think I just haven't got the feel for a properly active walk so what feels okay to me probably looks lazy to others), and falling in. Particularly on right rein it was very noticeable and I was working very hard to try to keep out and bend to the right. Also possibly not forward enough in trot. Right canter transition really poor (running into it) and an unplanned flying change!

The video idea is a good one, didn't get any today unfortunately and I wanted this to be able to watch back as a 'before' (hopefully in advance of an amazing transformation to an 'after'!). It's also not my horse so not sure about putting up a video of him, much as I think it could be helpful.

 

[J&S]

Just being able to make accurate transitions at markers is really useful for when you might want to ride a W/T (or W/T/C) test. Halt to walk, halt to trot, trot to halt, etc will give you a good feel for the horse's reactions to your aids so you can modify to get good results.
You can do this on hacks too. In the school learn how to ride your corners. This will help to keep the horse straight and not fall in!

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Don't be down. Answer the following questions...

1. Did you and the horse get exercise?

2. Did you both finish safely?

3. Did you find some things that you would like to work on in the future?

If all 3 were "yes" then that is a success!

I always have a 4th question... Did you both enjoy the session?... But I think you have given yourself pressure so that one may not be as positive!

I would book a trainer to come and help you. I used to do that, and would go to clients of all different levels of experience. Some wanted help with mounting. Some wanted to dare to walk right around the arena. Some were jumping courses ready for BS. What all had in common though, was that they all wanted to improve. As a trainer I could help them identify where their 'block' was and help them to plan a route to improve. We had fun.

1 - Yes (possibly me more than the horse!)
2 - Yes (and I was pleased to ride confidently through a little 'spooky' moment at the beginning rather than going to 'oh god I can't do this!')
3 - I think so - I'm just not quite sure what they are and how I will approach them. Main ones would be getting more response from leg (this is a classic one for me as I'm quite a 'quiet' rider, too quiet at times!) and something to do with the right rein (I'm not sure on the terminology but basically working on the falling in, it's just I'm not sure why it's so different on that side)
4 - I can't speak for the horse, I do think he found some bits tricky (or he's testing what he can get out of, I'm not sure), and for me I think you are right I did put pressure on myself which isn't especially fun. Although I did feel good about riding much more positively than I did last time in the school, and when we got the left canter it felt amazing!

Hopefully can get a trainer out soon, I really like the idea of having some homework to focus on. I definitely identify with the risk of trying to do too much in one go.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Just being able to make accurate transitions at markers is really useful for when you might want to ride a W/T (or W/T/C) test. Halt to walk, halt to trot, trot to halt, etc will give you a good feel for the horse's reactions to your aids so you can modify to get good results.
You can do this on hacks too. In the school learn how to ride your corners. This will help to keep the horse straight and not fall in!

Oh yes the corners definitely need work! Transitions a good idea too - my legs were getting 'naggy' today, which is not like me so not sure why that became a thing today.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I think for many of us this is quite hard and it's so easy to go into the arena with no clear plan of what you want to achieve and therefore no idea of if you've achieved it or not. That's my experience, anyway! When you have a lesson, why not ask for homework, things to work on on your own. I think that would give you a plan. I've always tried to keep it as simple as possible with a basic structure eg Is horse in front of the leg, No, then have a number of simple exercises that will help you achieve that. Years ago I bought 101 schooling exercises and methodically went through and marked up all the exercises that I thought would be useful for the horse that I had at the time, I found that useful as the trainer I had at the time was pretty useless but these days I'd rather have input from my trainer. Really experienced riders have the ability to ride the horse under them on the day, I'm getting better at that but still have a long way to go. Don't get down, it's really difficult to school a horse well and many riders tbh don't have a clue, they might as well go for a hack with washing line reins and a phone stuck to their ear!

Thank you, this is encouraging Wil definitely be seeking homework from a trainer when I can, and will check out that book.

If I think about it my plan/goals, while not massive, probably were achieved if I stop thinking about all the things that went 'wrong'. Last time I was in the school I was feeling really nervous and so I hoped to just have a walk and trot round, and do some shapes and transitions even if they weren't pretty, just to get the confidence up. I did do that, plus some canter so that was a bonus. I suppose I've focused on all the things that weren't pretty instead of remembering I can come back to them and improve them.

 

[milliepops]

. I suppose I've focused on all the things that weren't pretty instead of remembering I can come back to them and improve them.

it's very easy to do this.
I did exactly that this morning, I went into the arena with a plan for it to be a canter day, somehow started working in trot by mistake, opened a can of worms I didn't really want to be fixing and came out feeling a bit flat! Horse wasn't up for trot-can-of-worms, I'm kicking myself and tomorrow is her day off schooling so I have to wait until Thursday to re-live the whole thing, and then she'll probably be feeling totally different, arghhhhh.

BUT.
If I think about all that in a different way: she got plenty of exercise (always helpful). i worked a lot on straightness and did improve it even with her head in a funny place, mentally. We did lots of good transitions. We did eventually get to the canter and though she was too tired to work in the collection I'd intended, I found her loose over her back and really through so that's what I was aiming for deep down anyway. I can collect her from that another day. I've also re-remembered not to work on things "by accident" on days where she's not in the right headspace for it (duhh) and I had a chance to think about my position ahead of my rider symmetry clinic on friday.
So all is not lost.

I think Red's questions are good ones at all levels tbh!

Learning to school a horse as independent work is something that comes with experience, practice and tbh a bit of self-study. starting off by having a trainer give you homework is a great idea. When you get used to practicing and developing your homework, you'll begin to get a bit more of an instinctive idea on how to expand on the exercises yourself in between.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

it's very easy to do this.
I did exactly that this morning, I went into the arena with a plan for it to be a canter day, somehow started working in trot by mistake, opened a can of worms I didn't really want to be fixing and came out feeling a bit flat! Horse wasn't up for trot-can-of-worms, I'm kicking myself and tomorrow is her day off schooling so I have to wait until Thursday to re-live the whole thing, and then she'll probably be feeling totally different, arghhhhh.

BUT.
If I think about all that in a different way: she got plenty of exercise (always helpful). i worked a lot on straightness and did improve it even with her head in a funny place, mentally. We did lots of good transitions. We did eventually get to the canter and though she was too tired to work in the collection I'd intended, I found her loose over her back and really through so that's what I was aiming for deep down anyway. I can collect her from that another day. I've also re-remembered not to work on things "by accident" on days where she's not in the right headspace for it (duhh) and I had a chance to think about my position ahead of my rider symmetry clinic on friday.
So all is not lost.

I think Red's questions are good ones at all levels tbh!

Learning to school a horse as independent work is something that comes with experience, practice and tbh a bit of self-study. starting off by having a trainer give you homework is a great idea. When you get used to practicing and developing your homework, you'll begin to get a bit more of an instinctive idea on how to expand on the exercises yourself in between.

Thank you that is so helpful. It's really highlighting how helpful a trainer would be. I'm loving making the move beyond 'just' having lessons at a riding school, but it certainly is showing me there's much more to learn yet!

 

[ApolloStorm]

Generally I have a plan for the week- what days I’m riding and what my general plan for the ride is hacking/pole work/ schooling etc. Then each day think of one thing I’d like to work on, straightness/transitions/bend. Then if I get in there and horse is struggling with something else like impulsion, focus etc we work on that instead.
It generally helps to have a bit of a ‘bank’ of exercises to use. I’d ask your instructor, or there are some good books out there.

I actually find plain flat work really boring, even though I like dressage! Pole work is very beneficial- and it gives you a focus point for your session, and you can work on your “thing for the day” both using and around the poles. I also try and limit myself to one horse thing and one rider thing per session. Otherwise you end up achieving nothing!

 

[TheHairyOne]

I rememeber feeling a bit lost riding on my own when I first had the choice on what I was doing.

One thing that really helped me to ride with
Some more focus was to look at some dressage tests (doesnt have to be the sheets - just youtube works) and then ride a selection of those movements as best I could.

Then I found a good instructor (well 2 in fact) and this made things much better.

 

[Cob Life]

I was very lost riding on my own to start but I figured it out.

i was on a very string green cob who was in a 3 ring gag for flat work, we worked on it and he’s now in a french link.

the main things that helped me:
1. Identify after each session what could improve - for him it was getting correct bend, becoming more supple, responsiveness to the hand and leg and adjustably in his stride.
2. plan how you can improve that in your next ride
3. Put your plan into action - you may need to adjust it slightly depending on how you and the horse are feeling that day. Like with him I know if he’s feeling tenses doing anything to try and improve his canter transitions will just wind him up and we won’t make any progress so on those days I focus on lateral work like shoulder in, leg yield.
4. Review your ride. - what was good? Where did you see improvement? what do you want to work on next time? - yesterday We schooled in the field. he was very tense, especially in trot (which was fair enough as the terrible 2 next door were throwing Stuff around in the woods) but he did eventually work nicely over the fan of poles in walk and trot and really engaged his hind end.
5. Use your ride review to plan your next ride.

 

[Sail_away]

All riding is schooling! The best medium trot I get from mine is out hacking and it's often when I focus on the seat aids most (lots of walk). My general advice - learn to assess your horse. You can do it the BHS way (rhythm, suppleness, contact etc) or your own way. For me, I get on my horse and my thought process is:
- is the walk active, can I feel the hindquarters working, is he stretching down into the bridle
- is he equally responsive to the aids on both sides, is he supple on each side
- when I pick him up does he remain soft and stretching into the bridle, does he start to favour one rein
- overall in each pace how much power and expression do I have to work with today
Within those I'm working on lateral work, transitions, shapes etc. That's not a one-size-fits-all template though. On everything I ride I walk after the warmup and plan what I'll do that day. Have two or three exercises (they can be linked) and work through them - keep in mind what you're trying to get out of it. I also have a rule that if we've failed to do something right three times then I have a walk break and try a different way. It helps to stop you getting stuck on any one exercise.
Assessment is really an important tool. Do it every warmup, every time you have a break - eventually you'll be doing it constantly as you ride. I had it drilled into me from age ten at my first riding school and it has served me well.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

All riding is schooling! The best medium trot I get from mine is out hacking and it's often when I focus on the seat aids most (lots of walk). My general advice - learn to assess your horse. You can do it the BHS way (rhythm, suppleness, contact etc) or your own way. For me, I get on my horse and my thought process is:
- is the walk active, can I feel the hindquarters working, is he stretching down into the bridle
- is he equally responsive to the aids on both sides, is he supple on each side
- when I pick him up does he remain soft and stretching into the bridle, does he start to favour one rein
- overall in each pace how much power and expression do I have to work with today
Within those I'm working on lateral work, transitions, shapes etc. That's not a one-size-fits-all template though. On everything I ride I walk after the warmup and plan what I'll do that day. Have two or three exercises (they can be linked) and work through them - keep in mind what you're trying to get out of it. I also have a rule that if we've failed to do something right three times then I have a walk break and try a different way. It helps to stop you getting stuck on any one exercise.
Assessment is really an important tool. Do it every warmup, every time you have a break - eventually you'll be doing it constantly as you ride. I had it drilled into me from age ten at my first riding school and it has served me well.

Thank you, this is really helpful and a good point about all riding as schooling. In my RS lessons my instructor has been getting me to feed back how I think things are going before she gives me her comments. I think this is helping me develop the assessment skills you're describing. Definitely needs more work and I need some instruction on share horse to help me get to grips with him specifically.

 

[Carrottom]

Back in April there were some good schooling ideas on here on threads titled virtual clinic or similar I think. It might be worth searching them out and having a read.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Back in April there were some good schooling ideas on here on threads titled virtual clinic or similar I think. It might be worth searching them out and having a read.

Thank you I will have a look and see.

Edit - have found the thread and having a good look through. Looks great!

 

[milliepops]

Back in April there were some good schooling ideas on here on threads titled virtual clinic or similar I think. It might be worth searching them out and having a read.

Oh yeah good point. We did those for a good few weeks. Lots of good discussions too.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Just popping back to this thread to refresh myself on what was suggested. I can't remember exactly what had happened to get me feeling down at the time; possibly just been in the school with share horse but it wasn't a lesson, I think his owner had been giving me tips or something and it had gotten a bit overwhelming instead of being helpful as intended. Something like that anyway.

It's nice to read it back now, having had four lessons on share horse with a trainer, and see how far things have come in such a short space of time. I really did need a trainer to help me, no disrespect to owner, it's just that the professional input has been so valuable for my confidence and my riding this particular horse.

Plus re-reading all the advice everyone gave is helpful because I'm actually getting in the school by myself now; just a couple of post-hack 10 min sessions to practice transitions. I'm pleased to report that the answer to all four of @Red-1 questions each time has been 'yes!' - I'm having fun and I think S is too, especially when there is pole work involved!

Main goal has been simply to get in the school, and get a nice walk, trot and canter on both reins. Really it's more about schooling me and my nerves but it's been nice each time to feel little improvements - riding more forwards, feeling S loosen up and enjoy a stretch, and spending more time bending to the inside instead of the outside. We still have 'weird leg things' in canter transitions but I think I notice a difference once we have warmed up and feel much more secure/in balance while S sorts himself out.

 

[charterline]

As a very basic schooling... put a few poles out in the arena. You can walk or trot a “course of show jumps” with them. Make sure horse walks over the centre of each one, walks over each end, does a circle over each one he gets to